This is the first in our 3 part series on creating and making the most of your social media business pages. Today we will be focusing on Facebook. If you’ve been paying attention to our blog for small business owners, by this point you would know that Facebook is no longer an option for businesses. It’s become a necessity for businesses to grow and attract new users, with Facebook’s ability to give brands a chance to present themselves on a personal level. I personally have had the pleasure of watching a few companies experience booms in revenue due to improved Facebook marketing.
Since digital marketing encompasses not only Facebook, but all social media platforms on the periphery (Instagram, Twitter etc), we decided to put together a 3 part series on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. How to set up a business page for your digital media, and how to thrive on all 3 platforms.
This part of the 3 part series will focus on Facebook, starting from how to setup your account to making sure it’s not a personal profile and it will cover all the way to best times during the day to post and which tools can help. Without further ado, onto the basics.
The Bare Basics (and some theory)
Sometimes the best way to understand how to manage something, is to first picture what exactly this “something” is supposed to do. You can be the greatest business mind in the world, but if you think a fish was made to do accounting you won’t get anywhere. So to iterate clearly, Facebook makes you more discoverable to the network of over 1 billion users.
One might argue that their website is sufficient and performs the same function, however, that person might be very much mistaken. Okay, not might, they ARE mistaken. Facebook gives the small business owner the chance to connect directly with consumers, potential and loyal alike, which will help drive clients due to better customer care. The fact that people spend most of their leisure time (and some of their work time) on Facebook means that your presence is bound to be noticed by someone, provided you put in the work.
I personally have found a multitude of things on Facebook; an apartment, dental clinic, a job and on. So now that you understand that being a part of Facebook is a non-negotiable, here are the first steps.
1. Go to the top right hand side, near the lock icon, and click Create Page.
2. Choose the type of business page you are creating.
3. Fill out your information. Especially if you are looking to be classified as a local business, make sure your full contact information and address are there. Facebook will naturally direct traffic to your business page if it’s growing and engaging, and if it is relevant to the user (i.e someone looking to buy right now from a local store near the user).
Profile & Cover Photos
Now that you’ve set up the basics, your business is live on Facebook, the world’s largest social network. So how do you stand out? The first thing I recommend is, if you don’t already have a fantastic logo or brand materials, it’s time to invest. If you don’t have the money for a professional designer or photographer, have no fear.
Just like we at Solomoto create marketing solutions for the small business owner, there are other platforms and apps that specialize in this area of branding. A personal favorite, is the no nonsense app called Salt. I recently also wrote an article on 6 tools for logos that take a variety of budgets into account.
I would say the best way to think of your profile and cover photos for your newly minted (or recently updated) Facebook business page is; your profile photo serves as a place for your brand Logo (for McDonald's it would be golden arches, for Nike the swoosh etc). The cover photo is more like a seasonal banner. While the logo should be timeless, cover photos are due for a couple of times a year. Make sure that your cover photo is clean though, without too much noise (collages, too many pictures, words etc).
Since the cover photo is more about the personality of your brand, try to keep it clean, neat and organized. Above all else, make sure your potential page viewer knows why they are on the page, the cover photo will be the first thing on your page that conveys the message (after possibly the name). Canva provides a great service for finding and editing great cover photos. For more on the new Facebook business page layout, you can read this article.
Content
Facebook pages rely heavily on content, depending on your field of work the best types of content may vary. However, there are 4 types that are usually very useful and eye catching.
1. Photos
2. Videos
3. Infographics
4. Articles
Each of these forms of content should be used, as variety is in fact the spice of life. However, you must decide for yourself which best suits your industry and produce accordingly. For instance, if you run a restaurant, then you should focus on videos and pictures of your food, as well as infographics about cooking tips and recipes. If you’re a doctor, you may want to focus more on infographics and articles to relay key medical messages to your audience.
Facebook decides how often your posts will pop-up depending on engagement with your posts. The more engagement your posts get (likes, shares, comments), the more likely it is for your post to reach a larger audience. That said, you should write your content with the best intentions for your clients and consumers. The reason for that is longevity. While you may be able to create a stir in the short run by posting clickbait, people will eventually understand your posts don’t have value.
Lastly, not all content has to be original, but some of it should be. People want to see that you know more about a certain industry than they do. This will increase trust and eventually turn your current fans into buyers and their friends into followers. Try to keep a ratio of 80/20, 80% borrowed, 20% original. Make sure that when you do borrow content you are giving credit where credit is due.
Here is an example of how we gave credit to an article by Entrepreneur:
Tips & Tricks
So now that you are up and running with your Facebook business page and you are curating and pumping out content faster than the speed of light, here are a few tips to keep your page moving forward.
Tip #1: Be consistent!
You don’t have to post every minute of everyday or even every hour. What you should do though, is make sure you’re posting almost everyday. This is done fairly simply with the Facebook post scheduler, Solomoto also provides a post scheduler that you can use for multiple channels if you find you are pressed for time.
Tip #2: Smaller is better.
Since your posts are meant to catch attention to the content you're sharing, try to be sure the headline you use is short. 40 characters or less is usually the way to go. Don’t turn your post into an article, your article should be a separate page that a user can go to, your post is simply meant to draw the attention there should they want to see more.
Tip #3: Be diplomatic.
Don’t let politics or personal bias cloud your judgment. Business should be void of all bias. To know which content is appropriate, always think to yourself “Would I be proud to show this to my family”.
Tip #4: Be one with your clients.
Gear your content towards what helps your clients, not yourself. That means content should be built on what your clients need to hear, not what promotes your business.
Tip #5: First Responder.
Get the Facebook messenger app for your business page so you can respond to clients ASAP. The faster you respond over time the better your customer service will be displayed on Facebook. They will write that you get back to consumers quickly and that will encourage more potential customers to engage and message you.
When To Post on Facebook:
The best time to post on Facebook for Saturday and Sunday - 12 - 1pm
The best time to post on Facebook for Wednesday - 3 - 4pm
The best time to post on Facebook for Thursday and Friday is 1 - 4pm
The best time to post on Facebook for Monday & Tuesday is 4 - 6 pm
(Source: Shortstack)
Every market is different, so see what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment but always be sure you are tracking what you do so you know what works and what doesn't.
Once you are producing regular content and your Facebook Business Page is all set up and up to date, a great way of finding out what works or what doesn’t is taking numbers and analytics into consideration. This can be done by looking at certain metrics such as the number of likes certain posts, links or images are getting, or the number of comments they are receiving. For more information on how to make the most of Facebook Insights, click here. Don’t let the numbers intimidate you, persistence is key!